Science November 6, 2017

Forest of Molecular Signals in Star Forming Galaxy

Astronomers found a rich molecular reservoir in the heart of an active star-forming galaxy with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).

Science October 31, 2017

Minor Merger Kicks Supermassive Black Hole into High Gear

New images of Seyfert galaxy M77 (aka NGC 1068) taken with the Subaru Telescope suggest that a rouge super massive black hole from a galaxy cannibalized by M77 could be responsible for the falling gas powering M77’s active galactic nucleus.

Science October 20, 2017

Detection of intact lunar lava tubes in the data from SELENE (Kaguya) radar sounding

A 50-km long intact lava tube underground along a lava flow river “rille” on the Marius Hills of the Moon is detected using the data from the Lunar Radar Sounder onboard SELENE (Kaguya).

Science October 16, 2017

Astronomers Follow Gravitational Waves to Treasure

Astronomers have tracked down the source of a gravitational wave and discovered the first observed kilonova: a nuclear furnace 100 million times brighter than the Sun producing thousands of times the entire mass of the Earth in heavy elements such as precious metals.

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Topics October 12, 2017

Eiji Akiyama Awarded “Best Researcher 2016” by the Japanese Society for Planetary Sciences

Eiji Akiyama, a specially-appointed assistant professor at the NAOJ Chile Observatory, received the “Best Researcher 2016” from the Japanese Society for Planetary Sciences.

Science October 5, 2017

Surface Helium Detonation Spells End for White Dwarf

An international team of researchers has found evidence that the brightest stellar explosions in our Universe could be triggered by helium nuclear detonation near the surface of a white dwarf star.

Topics October 3, 2017

Nobel Prize in Physics 2017 Awarded Gravitational Waves Detection

On Oct. 3, the 2017 Nobel Prize in physics was announced. The Nobel Prize committee awarded the prize to Prof. Rainer Weiss, Prof. Barry C. ...

Topics October 2, 2017

High-Sensitivity Radio Telescope and Supercomputer for Astronomy Selected as IEICE Milestone

The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE) selected as IEICE Milestone the high-sensitivity radio telescope and the supercomputer for astronomy developed and operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).

Science September 29, 2017

Supersonic gas streams left over from the Big Bang drive massive black hole formation

An international team of researchers has successfully used a super-computer simulation to recreate the formation of a massive black hole from supersonic gas streams left over from the Big Bang.

Science September 28, 2017

First Detection of an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole Candidate in the Milky Way

With ALMA telescope, an intermediate-mass black hole candidate, having 100,000 solar mass, has been detected near the Galactic Center.